Legislature(1999 - 2000)

02/25/2000 09:03 AM Senate FIN

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
SENATE BILL NO. 250                                                                                                             
"An Act making and amending capital, supplemental, and                                                                          
other appropriations and re-appropriations; making a                                                                            
re-appropriation under art. IX, sec. 17 (c),                                                                                    
Constitution of the State of Alaska, from the                                                                                   
constitutional budget reserve fund; making                                                                                      
appropriations to capitalize funds; ratifying certain                                                                           
expenditures; and providing for an effective date."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Adult Public Assistance (APA) AS 47.25.430-615, Sec. 10(a)                                                                      
- $440,500 General Fund                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
JANET CLARK, Director, Division of Administrative Services,                                                                     
Department of Health & Social Services began with Section                                                                       
(10) of SB 250.  She noted that the Governor used a low                                                                         
case scenario of a four-percent growth for this program.                                                                        
She then went on to outline an historical growth rate for                                                                       
this program and gave some background on the population of                                                                      
adults served, essentially noting that this program is a                                                                        
cash supplement to Social Security Disability Insurance                                                                         
(SSI.)                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Torgerson asked if this program money was                                                                              
considered a co-pay.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that this program consisted of cash                                                                         
payments and was not considered as a co-pay for medical                                                                         
benefits.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Torgerson asked if this was a nationwide program.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that most states provide a supplement                                                                       
to SSI.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips asked if the supplementals were broken out                                                                     
by election districts.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that on page four of the backup                                                                             
materials, the department provided a fact sheet on Adult                                                                        
Public Assistance to highlight the corresponding                                                                                
demographics [in Committee file.]   She continued that                                                                          
although there is a general five-percent caseload yearly                                                                        
increase, about two to three percent consists of the                                                                            
elderly, and seven percent consists of the disabled.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Senator Leman referred to the provided backup and read,                                                                         
"Continued APA funding provides critical assistance as the                                                                      
program of last resort for this population."  He noted that                                                                     
the state ought to encourage as the first resort: families,                                                                     
friends, neighbors, and church groups, etceteras as                                                                             
providing necessary support to these individuals.  He                                                                           
wondered if the state fails by providing a back stop of                                                                         
first resort, rather than last resort, if these individuals                                                                     
are relying on these programs for the remainder of their                                                                        
lives.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that the Adult Public Assistance                                                                            
program does not consist of the same population as the                                                                          
Welfare Reform Program.  She noted that the state has                                                                           
qualified for federal grants to help fund the research of                                                                       
policies that relate to individuals being able to work                                                                          
without loosing their Medicaid benefits.  She continued to                                                                      
note that the department has focused on welfare reform for                                                                      
the past few years, but this program consists of disabled                                                                       
adults based on SSI standards, where an individual must be                                                                      
elderly and poor, or blind.  She stressed that these                                                                            
individuals are unable to work and need these funds for                                                                         
utilities and rent payments.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Torgerson asked if anything was excluded from                                                                          
these qualifying individual's incomes such as the longevity                                                                     
bonus or the permanent fund dividend.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that the state has "hold harmless"                                                                          
provisions in its statutes for both the longevity bonus and                                                                     
permanent fund program.  She stated that the $929.00                                                                            
qualifying income for an individual does not include these                                                                      
benefits.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Torgerson asked if individuals re-qualify every                                                                        
year for these benefits.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that she would provide this information                                                                     
to Co-Chair Torgerson                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Senator P. Kelly stated that public policy was driving most                                                                     
of what is listed on this supplemental budget.  He added                                                                        
that the only way to change this was through statutory                                                                          
changes.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell read the following sentence from the APA                                                                       
formula obligations as provided in the backup materials.                                                                        
"Alaska statutory provisions creating the APA financial                                                                         
commitment, do not permit the department to implement a                                                                         
ratable reduction of the APA maximum payment schedule."  He                                                                     
asked where this reference was in statute.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that this was included in AS 47.25.430                                                                      
(e), as follows: "provides the amount of state assistance                                                                       
and eligible individual receipts must be maintained at the                                                                      
1992 level."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked if these levels were set forth in                                                                        
regulation.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded affirmatively.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell referred to this same statute, under                                                                           
Subsection (a), which states, "Financial assistance shall                                                                       
be given under these sections, so far as is practicable                                                                         
under appropriations made by law."  He noted that there was                                                                     
no established formula for this in statute.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that in the past when a proposed                                                                            
ratable reduction was requested, the Attorney General's                                                                         
office advised the Department that this would be                                                                                
questionable by doing so without legislative action.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell added that he was under the impression                                                                         
that this program, was primarily driven by the elderly.  He                                                                     
then cited this population by age as outlined in the                                                                            
backup.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that when someone turns 65 years old,                                                                       
they are counted as elderly and not as disabled.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell continued to discuss this age breakdown                                                                        
and noted a discrepancy in the numbers of individuals                                                                           
accounted for.  He then asked what the department paid to                                                                       
an individual while they wait for an eligibility                                                                                
determination on SSI.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that she would provide this information                                                                     
to Co-Chair Parnell at a later date.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Old Age Assistance - Alaska Longevity Bonus Hold Harmless                                                                       
(OAA-ALBHH) AS 47.45.120, Sec. 10 (b) - $292,200 General                                                                        
Fund                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark continued that this program was created to allow                                                                      
low income, elderly Alaskans to receive the same benefits                                                                       
from the longevity bonus payment, while holding them                                                                            
harmless from loosing their federal SSI, as well as their                                                                       
state adult public assistance payment.  She added that each                                                                     
month about 1500 elderly adults receive this benefit.  She                                                                      
referred to page five of the corresponding backup and gave                                                                      
particulars of how this program works, including an                                                                             
explanation of why additional monies are necessary.  She                                                                        
summed up that the department needed a higher supplemental                                                                      
than there is an increment request.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips noted that the legislature had passed the                                                                      
Governor's bill on longevity and assumed that this                                                                              
supplemental would have no affect on that.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that the department had reflected a                                                                         
reduction of this program in their fiscal note.  She stated                                                                     
that she would let Senator Phillips know how much of a                                                                          
reduction was reflected.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator P. Kelly asked if the Governor's bill was income                                                                        
based and wondered how this would impact individuals with                                                                       
$60,000 or $80,000 incomes who would not be eligible for                                                                        
services, which the department is trying to offset.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that the Governor's bill was income                                                                         
based and noted that in theory Adult Public Assistance is a                                                                     
needs based, income based program for poor elderly.  She                                                                        
added that if this changed and the longevity bonus became a                                                                     
needs based, she thought there would be some changes in how                                                                     
the department would not hold people harmless.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Catastrophic and Acute Medical Assistance (CAMA) AS 47.08,                                                                      
Sec. 10(c) - $608,600 General Fund                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark noted that this was a relatively new program,                                                                         
which separates out medical services for the very poor and                                                                      
replaces the General Relief Medical Program.  She referred                                                                      
to the corresponding backup, which highlights eligibility                                                                       
rules and she touched on some of these for the Committee.                                                                       
She continued that the Governor's request was $500,000 more                                                                     
than what the Conference Committee supported; however the                                                                       
Senate Finance Committee supported the higher number last                                                                       
year.  She noted that the original request was reduced and                                                                      
pointed out that the pharmacy costs related to this                                                                             
program, is what drives the budget request.  She added that                                                                     
the department estimates 1,145 individuals will access this                                                                     
program in FY00 and a little over 900 of these will use the                                                                     
pharmacy benefit.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips referred to this program's income limits                                                                       
and asked if there were any related exclusions, such as the                                                                     
permanent fund dividend.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
BOB LABBE, Director, Division of Medical Assistance,                                                                            
Department of Health & Social Services responded that he                                                                        
would research this for the Senator.  He noted that service                                                                     
payments are made directly to the providers, but the                                                                            
recipients are allowed a certain amount of income, although                                                                     
it is a very small amount.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked if any unallocated reductions to the                                                                     
department programs gets allocated to the CAMA program for                                                                      
FY00.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that she would research this                                                                                
possibility.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Foster Care AS 47.14.100, Sec. 10(d) - $3.7 million                                                                             
(Federal Receipts & General Fund)                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark stated that an amendment to this original request                                                                     
was given to the Committee, which reduced the amount of the                                                                     
supplemental by about a million dollars.  She noted that                                                                        
when the department originally looked at the Foster Care                                                                        
budget, they took into consideration the growth rate of new                                                                     
children entering the program, along with an increase of a                                                                      
daily rate of $3.00.  She stated that the department                                                                            
researched this increase and found that more money is paid                                                                      
for infant care and teenagers, along with a geographic                                                                          
differential.  She concluded that more infants were                                                                             
entering the system than previously and they found that                                                                         
their original formula was flawed.  She noted that as a                                                                         
result of this, they backed down this amount.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell recollected that an increase in last                                                                           
year's budget went towards Foster parent rates.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that last year the department attempted                                                                     
to keep up with the amount of children entering the system,                                                                     
but that there was no rate increase.  She added that there                                                                      
was a rate increase codified in regulation a few years ago.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
GLADYS LANGDON, Children Services Manager, Division of                                                                          
Family & Youth Services, Department of Health & Social                                                                          
Services testified via teleconference from Anchorage.  She                                                                      
spoke to the increase of infants into Foster Care due to                                                                        
domestic violence.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Subsidized Adoption AS 13.26.062, AS 25.23.190-240, Sec.                                                                        
10(e) - $408,900 Federal Receipts                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark continued that this requested money was for the                                                                       
subsidized adoption program to cover caseload growth and                                                                        
the department has undertaken to enhance their ability to                                                                       
claim additional Federal Title 4 (e) Funds.  She noted that                                                                     
the department originally thought this would be a general                                                                       
fund request, but these federal receipts can be earned to                                                                       
make up for the projected shortfall in this program.  She                                                                       
continued that this program was for children with special                                                                       
needs or those that are difficult to place.  She added that                                                                     
this program allows for a small stipend to adoptive                                                                             
parents.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator Leman referred to page 13 of the backup and read                                                                        
that there were 752 children classified as racial or with                                                                       
ethnic factors.  He asked what this specifically meant and                                                                      
whether these were children that were additionally                                                                              
difficult to place.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that she did not know for certain, but                                                                      
would research this for the Senator.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Senator Green asked if these special needs children qualify                                                                     
for a larger stipend in an adoptive home, rather than their                                                                     
own home.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. Clark responded that this was a good question, but that                                                                     
she did not have an answer for it.  She did note that the                                                                       
subsidized and guardian payments were contractual                                                                               
arrangements between the state and the adoptive parent.                                                                         
She added that these payments were on average about half of                                                                     
what the department pays for Foster Care.  Ms. Clark stated                                                                     
that she would provide the information, which Senator Green                                                                     
specifically requested.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips noted that out of a total of 1,095                                                                             
children, a third of them were either Fetal Alcohol                                                                             
Affected (FAE) or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and asked                                                                        
what the department is doing about a problem that is mostly                                                                     
preventative.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that U.S. Senator Ted Stevens provided                                                                      
$6 million dollars for the next five years to establish a                                                                       
State of Alaska FAE and FAS program.  She noted that this                                                                       
could lead to statutory changes regarding this problem.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell noted that the department made this                                                                            
request in Legislative Budget & Audit (LB&A) in the form of                                                                     
a Revised Program for the Legislature (RBL), as well as in                                                                      
this supplemental.  He asked if there was any indication                                                                        
from LB&A when this will be taken up or which avenue they                                                                       
are really pursuing.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that the department had put four of                                                                         
these supplementals (federal only) into the LB&A process.                                                                       
She added that the department is a bit confused about how                                                                       
the legislature wants to consider these budgets.  She                                                                           
continued, that as a result of this confusion, the                                                                              
department chose both avenues depending on what might be                                                                        
the most expedient.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Frontline Social Workers, Sec. 10(f) - $261,800 Federal                                                                         
Authority                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark offered that this request was to deal with some                                                                       
unexpected increases in this program's basic operating                                                                          
cost.  She noted a list of various reasons why this money                                                                       
was necessary on page 18 of the provided backup.   She                                                                          
specially noted that in the past the department has lapsed                                                                      
significant dollars in personal services related to this                                                                        
program, although the department is not doing this anymore.                                                                     
She added that the department holds positions vacant to                                                                         
live within their vacancy assessment of 7 percent.  She                                                                         
noted that the department does not have the flexibility to                                                                      
transfer funds from personal services as the department has                                                                     
in the past to take care of unexpected costs.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark outlined that the department had to enhance                                                                           
security services in their Anchorage office since some                                                                          
clients had brandished guns and made threats.  She added                                                                        
that the department contracted with a security company on                                                                       
site.  She gave various other examples of unexpected costs                                                                      
and added that this program's federal funds came to the                                                                         
program as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy                                                                           
Families (TANF Block Grant.)  She offered that one of the                                                                       
transfers allowed under another federal source is called                                                                        
the Social Services Lot Grant, presently this is all                                                                            
budgeted towards to the Frontline Social Workers program.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
McLaughlin Youth Center, AS 47.14, Sec. 10(g) - $120,000                                                                        
General Funds                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark offered that an overcrowding situation has                                                                            
persisted at this facility over the years, especially in                                                                        
their detention unit.  She added that this results in more                                                                      
overtime costs, including commodity purchases such as food                                                                      
and clothing for children housed in detention.  She added                                                                       
that other unexpected costs were due to clients with mental                                                                     
health needs that required one-on-one supervision.  She                                                                         
continued that this also resulted in an overtime situation.                                                                     
She outlined other reasons why there was a shortfall of                                                                         
money for this program.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Tape: SFC - 00 #37, Side B 9:50 am                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked what the department budgets for in                                                                       
overtime hours.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
GEORGE BUHITE, Director, Division of Juvenile Justice,                                                                          
Department of Health & Social Services responded that the                                                                       
department keeps averages of how many hours of overtime are                                                                     
necessary to keep their facilities running.  He stated that                                                                     
overtime hours were hard to predict and gave examples for                                                                       
the month of July of overtime at $37,000 and for January                                                                        
$101,000 for this past year.  He noted that overtime costs                                                                      
fluctuate between these two extremes.  He explained that                                                                        
the department tries to stay within their budget and if                                                                         
they leave positions vacant, while the population spikes,                                                                       
this is problematic because there is not enough ready                                                                           
staff.  He pointed out that for every eight to ten                                                                              
detainees, another post must be added.  He noted that                                                                           
overtime costs are included in the overall budget.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell used the example of Public Safety and how                                                                      
they budget at least six to ten hours a month per trooper,                                                                      
and if there is an aberration they are able to account for                                                                      
this.  He asked how much the unallocated reduction was                                                                          
allocated to Bethel's youth detention facility.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Buhite responded that the department's portion of the                                                                       
unallocated reduction for the Division of Juvenile Justice                                                                      
last year was $250,000.  He noted that $108,000 of this was                                                                     
allocated against McLaughlin, $50,000 for the Fairbanks                                                                         
Youth Facility, $50,000 for the Johnson Youth Facility, and                                                                     
a reduction of a part-time clerk position in Southeast.  He                                                                     
stated that none of these funds were allocated to the                                                                           
Bethel facility.  He noted that when it came time to take a                                                                     
reduction, he applied these as such to those facilities                                                                         
that could absorb it.  He felt as though this facility                                                                          
would not be able to handle such a reduction.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips referred to the spikes in population and                                                                       
asked if there was a pattern of when these occur.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Buhite responded that there has been an historic                                                                            
pattern with a building in the fall, which peaks around                                                                         
Christmas.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator Green asked Mr. Buhite to refresh her memory,                                                                           
regarding family medical leave.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Buhite responded that if an employee has a situation in                                                                     
their family or a personal injury, this employee can take                                                                       
leave beyond the standard leave allowed.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark added that these employees can take up to 18                                                                          
weeks under the state's family medical leave provision.                                                                         
She noted that if they use this leave, the employee is                                                                          
still paid out of the department's budget, as long as the                                                                       
hours are accrued.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Senator Green asked about a situation where as many as                                                                          
eight employees at McLaughlin were on family medical leave.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Buhite responded that McLaughlin has a very stable, but                                                                     
aging work force.  He added that some of them have elderly                                                                      
and dying parents to care for.  He also noted that as some                                                                      
employees get older, they are more apt to have injuries                                                                         
from trying to restrain detainees, and such.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Bethel Youth Facility, AS 47.14, Sec.10(h) - $97,000                                                                            
General Fund                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark offered that this supplement was related to the                                                                       
size of the resident population in the detention unit.  She                                                                     
added that this supplemental was comprised of $73,000 in                                                                        
additional overtime and $24,000 in additional commodity and                                                                     
food related expenses for detainees.  She noted that in                                                                         
September of 1999, the facility housed five residents                                                                           
adjudicated for murder, attempted murder or conspiracy to                                                                       
commit murder.  She added that this facility is very small                                                                      
and that these individuals took special care and attention.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Buhite explained how overcrowding affects these                                                                             
facilities and their corresponding programs.  He noted that                                                                     
last week they averaged 17 to 18 young adults on an eight-                                                                      
bed unit and in the general unit (19 beds), this facility                                                                       
averages 26 young adults per day, overall through February                                                                      
of this year.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Medicaid AS 47.07, Sec. 10(I) - $6,264,700 General Fund                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark stated that based on this program's annual                                                                            
expenditure pattern, the projected Medicaid need for                                                                            
general funds for the rest of the fiscal year will be                                                                           
short.  She noted that in this program's weekly projection                                                                      
runs, an actual shortfall in general funds is actually $9.5                                                                     
million, but staff is working to reduce this number.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Labbe added that staff continues to maximize the                                                                            
division's federal claim by re-coding of claims by Alaska                                                                       
Natives that are served through agreements with Indian                                                                          
Health Service or Tribal providers.  He added that with a                                                                       
Medicaid client who is an Alaska Native receiving services                                                                      
through a private provider, the state receives a 100                                                                            
percent federal reimbursement.  He detailed the progress on                                                                     
these efforts thus far for the Committee.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator Leman asked that when the above analysis is                                                                             
conducted, in terms of someone qualifying as an Alaskan                                                                         
Native with reimbursement potential, he asked if these                                                                          
individuals must first qualify or is a determination made                                                                       
strictly on nationality.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Labbe responded that when a person applies for Medicaid                                                                     
they identify themselves as being qualified and through                                                                         
private providers, the department can verify these numbers.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator P. Kelly asked if there were any differences in                                                                         
service that a person would receive under Indian Health                                                                         
Service (IHS) as versus Medicaid.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Labbe responded that the IHS package, since the tribes                                                                      
have moved to compacting, is somewhat flexible based on                                                                         
what the individual tribal program is willing to provide to                                                                     
their beneficiaries.  He mentioned an historical, basic                                                                         
package that did not include some things that might be                                                                          
covered under Medicaid, but there have been some expansions                                                                     
of services allowed.  He used the example of long term care                                                                     
and noted that this is not typically included because it is                                                                     
so expensive to provide.  He continued that as tribal                                                                           
elders work with the department to find ways to finance                                                                         
these services, the state makes attempts to get the federal                                                                     
government to pay 100 percent for these services at the                                                                         
same time, making it more feasible that the federal                                                                             
government can support this program.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell referred to Indian Health Service                                                                              
collections and noted that if the state thinks they can get                                                                     
$3 million for this year, would the department look to                                                                          
previous years for additional monies for reimbursement                                                                          
through Indian Health Services.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Labbe responded that last year the department had an                                                                        
aggressive retroactive claim effort in place, but noted                                                                         
that this effort is now pretty much exhausted.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Abortion Services for Medicaid Eligible Women, AS                                                                               
47.07.030, Sec. 10(j) - $300,000 General Fund                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark stated that currently the department has $215,000                                                                     
in pending abortion claims and they project $85,000 for the                                                                     
remainder of FY00.  She noted that Medicaid providers                                                                           
rendered these obligations after the judgement of the                                                                           
Superior Court in a lawsuit challenging the                                                                                     
constitutionality of the state funding limit.  She added                                                                        
that Medical Assistance has no valid appropriations to pay                                                                      
these claims.  She noted that this was not really a                                                                             
supplemental, but a separate appropriation because the                                                                          
department does not have the ability, in the Medicaid                                                                           
program, to pay these claims except if they comply with the                                                                     
Hyde Amendment in the Medicaid Program.  She continued that                                                                     
the department does not have any other valid appropriation                                                                      
to pay for these claims even though the department has been                                                                     
ordered to do so.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips asked what would happen if the legislature                                                                     
does not appropriate these dollars.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
LISA KIRSCH, Assistant Attorney General, Human Services                                                                         
Section, Department of Law responded that currently a                                                                           
contempt motion exists in the Superior Court charging that                                                                      
the state is failing to comply with a valid court order.                                                                        
She anticipates that if the state is not willing to pay for                                                                     
these services, which have already been provided it is                                                                          
likely the court will order sanctions against the state.                                                                        
She added that the forms these sanctions would take are                                                                         
difficult to predict, but would most likely include fines                                                                       
of some sort.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked Ms. Kirsch to describe the                                                                               
procedural posture of this case and what stage it is                                                                            
presently at.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch stated that this case first arose in June 1998,                                                                      
as a complaint for declaratory judgement and a request for                                                                      
a temporary restraining order.  She then gave an historical                                                                     
account of how this trial progressed and the issues                                                                             
considered as a result.  She stated that this case                                                                              
generally challenged the regulation that directs the money                                                                      
either from Medicaid and General Relief Medical (GRM) to                                                                        
pay for these abortions.  She continued that the temporary                                                                      
restraining order foreclosed the state from enforcing this                                                                      
regulation.  She explained the procedural aspects of this                                                                       
case and noted that the Superior Court ruled that failure                                                                       
to fund medically necessary abortions constrains and                                                                            
interferes with a fundamental right, namely the right of                                                                        
privacy.  She continued that the court found that Alaska's                                                                      
constitutional right to privacy entitles Medicaid eligible                                                                      
women funding for medically necessary abortions.  She                                                                           
stressed that the court did not direct that the state had                                                                       
to pay for abortions, but if they paid for pregnancy                                                                            
related and childbirth services, then they must pay for                                                                         
these abortions.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch continued to outline at what stage this case was                                                                     
at in regards to the Alaska Supreme Court hearing,                                                                              
including an outline of related motions, which have been                                                                        
filed to date.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell read a footnote to the Supreme Court's                                                                         
Order, dated December 30, 1999, as follows: "The injunction                                                                     
does not actually compel an appropriation, rather in                                                                            
effect, it simply relaxes legislative restrictions on                                                                           
funding already appropriated."  He thought that what the                                                                        
Supreme Court was saying is that the money appropriated                                                                         
into the Department of Health & Social Services had some                                                                        
restrictions on it.  He interpreted this to mean that the                                                                       
department was not permitted to provide for elective                                                                            
abortions, but the court was saying that they are willing                                                                       
to remove these restrictions on the appropriated money and                                                                      
if the department chooses to, they can spend this money on                                                                      
abortions in accordance with the lower court injunction.                                                                        
He asked if this was an accurate statement.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch responded that she was reluctant to speak for                                                                        
the justice who wrote this footnote.  She felt as though                                                                        
Co-Chair Parnell's interpretation was a reasonable one.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell noted that the department had requested                                                                        
$300,000 to provide these services and in effect he                                                                             
wondered if this did not undermine the state's legal                                                                            
position on appeal.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch responded by walking the Committee through the                                                                       
"separation of powers" issue, which the state had used to                                                                       
argue their case based on the fact that the court should                                                                        
not be able to re-appropriate funds.  She continued to                                                                          
outline for the Committee those additional issues the state                                                                     
has made to argue this case.  She noted that under the                                                                          
Separation of Powers Doctrine, the court does have the                                                                          
ability to intercede except under exceptional                                                                                   
circumstances, but the court does not have the power to                                                                         
order an appropriation.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked again, that if the legislature chose                                                                     
to fund this request, would the legislature not be                                                                              
undermining their legal position on appeal.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch responded that she did not believe so.  Her                                                                          
position thus far, has been that there is no funding                                                                            
currently available and that the court cannot appropriate                                                                       
or re-appropriate those monies set aside.  She summed up                                                                        
that if the state complies with the court order and the                                                                         
state prevails on appeal, the state will have some                                                                              
recourse.  She continued that if the state is not in                                                                            
compliance with the lower court order in the interim, the                                                                       
state faces the issue of contempt.  She added that within                                                                       
the framework of "separation of powers," she did not                                                                            
believe a special appropriation would undermine this, since                                                                     
the appropriation in this instance is only for a finite                                                                         
period of time. She stated that by the department coming to                                                                     
the legislature, they have shown that they have made every                                                                      
effort to comply with the court order, receiving an interim                                                                     
amount of funds to stay in compliance with the lower court                                                                      
order until the appeal can be completed.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell referenced the invoices, which make up the                                                                     
$300,000 request, and asked what range of dates did they                                                                        
reflect.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that these started after the Superior                                                                       
Court decision of last April when the department commenced                                                                      
accepting and pending claims, but not paying them.  She                                                                         
noted that she would let the Senator know what the service                                                                      
dates were for these.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Senator Leman added that he would like in addition to the                                                                       
list of service dates, also invoices, and who was invoiced.                                                                     
He noted that the witnesses had been using some terms                                                                           
interchangeably, which caused some confusion.  He referred                                                                      
to the backup regarding the definition of therapeutic                                                                           
abortions, and noted that the $300,000 request was for                                                                          
elective, not medically necessary abortions.  He continued                                                                      
to define the difference between medically necessary and                                                                        
elective abortions.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch noted that there was a great deal of difficulty                                                                      
associated with the terms therapeutic and medically                                                                             
necessary abortions.  She continued to discuss her                                                                              
perspective on differences between these two definitions.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator P. Kelly noted that it was his understanding that                                                                       
therapeutic abortions were also elective.  He then referred                                                                     
to the "separation of powers" issue, and clarified that the                                                                     
judge in the Superior Court has said that if the department                                                                     
can find the money, the department is allowed to fund these                                                                     
abortions.  He wondered that if these abortions are an                                                                          
absolute right, why the department has not made the                                                                             
necessary appropriation.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch noted that the department's monies are                                                                               
appropriated for specific purposes.  She noted that none of                                                                     
these funds are available for abortion purposes and she                                                                         
added that this was the reason why plaintiffs targeted                                                                          
Medicaid money.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Senator P. Kelly responded that he appreciates how the                                                                          
department has handled this issue thus far.  He felt that                                                                       
if the court fines the department as a result of this                                                                           
litigation, the legislature should take money out of the                                                                        
court's budget, since he felt that this case was such a                                                                         
bold violation of "separation of powers."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SFC-00 # 38, Side A                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch outlined for the Committee the briefing schedule                                                                     
related to this litigation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator Green asked if it was not true that federal                                                                             
Medicaid does not pay abortions.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Kirsch responded that no, Medicaid only pays for those                                                                      
narrow exceptions, such as rape, incest and a life-                                                                             
threatening situation for the mother.  She added that the                                                                       
state must also pay for these types of abortions in order                                                                       
to qualify for federal funding.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Senator Leman requested from the department, the number of                                                                      
these exceptional abortions performed.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that she had this information for FY99.                                                                     
She noted that during this period Medicaid paid for 18                                                                          
abortion totaling $11,065.  She continued that one of the                                                                       
reasons the department believes that they do not have funds                                                                     
available to comply with this court order, is that they                                                                         
have such a long list of other supplementals, as outlined                                                                       
previously.  She concluded that this reflects a short-                                                                          
funding situation.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Child Care Benefits, AS 47.27.635, Sec. 10(k) - $1,500,000                                                                      
Federal Authority                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark stated that the department would use a                                                                                
reimbursable service agreement to transfer this money to                                                                        
the Department of Education for their short funding in the                                                                      
childcare subsidizes program.  She explained how this would                                                                     
work.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Energy Assistance Program, AS 47.05.010 Sec. 10(l) -                                                                            
$1,767,700 Federal Receipts                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark stated that the department could not keep up with                                                                     
President Clinton's announcement of additional emergency                                                                        
contingency funds available for the "Home Heating Program."                                                                     
She noted the related national formula that allocates these                                                                     
dollars is based on how much a state spends for heating                                                                         
expenses.  She added that with the Northeast experiencing a                                                                     
cold winter, Alaska has received a smaller portion of these                                                                     
monies through this national formula.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Senator Phillips asked about the income limits related to                                                                       
this program, and asked if there were any exceptions, such                                                                      
as the permanent fund dividend.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that this was a totally federal funded                                                                      
program and that she would have to get back to the senator                                                                      
on this issue.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell asked if this request would eventually be                                                                      
less than $1.7 million.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark responded that this amount would be more at a                                                                         
total of $2.361.1 million.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Clark continued that there were several miscellaneous                                                                       
supplementals to consider, but noted specifically the                                                                           
Foster Care program.  She added that this supplemental                                                                          
included some clients that were supposed to be covered by                                                                       
Medicaid, but who eventually were not.  She added that as a                                                                     
result, the state must pay these costs, for such as things                                                                      
as broken eye glasses, etceteras.  She continued that there                                                                     
were a few reconciled audits with grantees that are owed                                                                        
additional money and also noted a ratification in Section 2                                                                     
for an over-expenditure in the Medicaid program for FY99 in                                                                     
the amount of $3.271.6 million dollars.  She outlined                                                                           
specifically how this supplemental came to be.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Parnell noted that SB 250 would be HELD in                                                                             
Committee.                                                                                                                      

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